Current construction methods for the installation of small conduits and cables consist of excavation equipment, vibratory flows (mainly in green field settings), and various trenchless construction methods such as directional drilling and impact moles. While trenchless methods greatly reduce the surface disturbance, they are associated with significant costs. While these costs can be justified for the placement of natural gas lines or water mains, where the vendor has exclusivity and is assured a very high market penetration, the cost is difficult to justify when laying very small diameter fiber optics where initial market penetration may be only 30-35% and the vendor must operate in an aggressive competitive market environment.
Hence, there is a need for a low cost method for installing small diameter fiber optics (and/or other lines) in urbanized areas.